Blackmailed football star named on Web

Not that it will do you any good

The football star currently involved in an intriguing sex-blackmail court case has been named on the Net. He is one of the most famous British footballers, he is friends with Paul Gascoigne and the case is being heard in Newcastle crown court.

However, the star, who claims he was stalked and blackmailed by a woman with tapes of them having phone sex, cannot be named for legal reasons after the judge in the case banned his identification. The judge tried to extend that ban to the Internet yesterday but it had already appeared on a Web site.

Evidence includes tapes from the star's workplace which record her threatening to send the sex tapes to his wife, family, friends and colleagues. She then twaddles on a bit about getting him at the Gates of St Peters, sings her own demented versions of My Ding-A-Ling and Devil Woman and gets generally unpleasant.

She was cautioned for her behaviour back in 1997 but continued hassling the star. When her house was searched last year, a map of his home town plus pictures and newspaper cuttings were found.

Of course what you all want to know is: who is it? Or failing that, what's the Web site? However, since telling you either would put us in hot water, to be honest we can't be bothered to find out. We do have our suspicions though.